Mattress storein Greenville, SC

Camila Franco knew she wanted to have something like Uki Bowlz, her upcoming açaí and coffee shop, but she did not expect it to happen in her 20s.

She worked at a smoothie bar in college while studying exercise science. Upon graduation, she went to work in a finance firm. In July 2023, she was unexpectedly let go. Franco knew she could get a job elsewhere. But she didn’t want to be stuck doing something she didn’t truly want to do.

By August, she was still holding the dream of a smoothie shop in her heart but didn’t know where to begin. Rather than find another job that might leave her unfulfilled, she enrolled in a ten-week course on building a business plan instead.

There, she formulated the mission, values and overview, and identified the target market for what would become Uki Bowlz.

“Sometimes I think, ‘Should I share that story? Should I not? But it really is my story. I got fired, and it pushed me to open my shop,” Franco said.

She began browsing for shops with the intention of opening later but found the perfect shop in October 2023 at 3 E. Park Ave., across from McPherson Park in Greenville. Although this kicked her plan into high gear, it felt like perfect timing.

She completed the course in November with her business already underway.

A personal connection

A gap Franco recognized in smoothie and juice shops was the inability to order a latte or drip coffee. Still, adding coffee was more than addressing a gap for Franco. It was a way to connect her business to her roots.

Franco is originally from Medellín, Colombia, one of the top-producing coffee nations in the world.

“Coffee-wise, you know, it’s my roots. We kind of grew up around coffee without really knowing it,” she said.

Franco loves coffee. Still, in contrast to smoothie bowls, she didn’t know much about it. She began surrounding herself with coffee — reaching out to local coffee shops and farmers and attending cupping events where attendees can sample different beans.

Ultimately, she decided to feature mostly Colombian coffee from Unlocked Coffee Roastersin the shop to honor her background and açaí’s roots in Brazil. Açaí comes from the berry of the açaí palm, which is found in the Amazon Rain Forest. The union was innovative and a way for her to bring a little bit of South America to the Upstate.

What to expect from Uki Bowlz

The bowls will have four bases for patrons to choose from: Brazilian açaí, mango, coconut or pitaya. Granola will be gluten-free and made in-house, as will be syrups for lattes.

A significant focus for Franco was ensuring complete transparency in the food she served. Although her supplier offers a premade base for açaí, she opted for the unsweetened, raw option to negate additives and minimize sugar content.

“The idea of this shop is really clean, healthy — no hidden ingredients. That’s really what I want to bring to the community,” she said. “We’re going to make everything in-house.”

The eatery will have a retail element, selling coffee, granola and merchandise. Loose-leaf teas from Methodical Coffee will also be available.

The shop will have an outside area which is expected to open in the summer.

Uki Bowlz is slated to open in March, and will be open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra January 30, 2024 Brooks Theatre, Clemson University Clemson, SC – USA Nayden Todorov, conductor; Ivaylo Vassilev, piano. Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

Greenville Symphony Orchestra February 17 & 18, 2024 Peace Concert Hall, Peace Center Greenville, SC – USA Wesley Schulz, conductor; Tessa Lark, violin. Anna CLYNE: Masquerade Wynton MARSALIS: Violin Concerto Hector BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique

Paul Hyde | 4 MAR 2024

Greenville, South Carolina, is a gem of a city with a thriving, world-class arts scene, including a fine regional orchestra.

Atlantans seeking a weekend getaway would find an abundance of cultural attractions, enticing restaurants and comfortable hotels in this city that often finds itself high atop lists of the most appealing places in the nation.

It has been rated the No. 1 Friendliest City in the U.S. and the No. 4 Best Small City in the U.S. by Conde Nast Traveler. Meanwhile, Southern Living magazine ranked Greenville at No. 5 on its list of the South’s best cities, calling it a “foodie paradise.”

Greenville’s downtown is charmingly walkable. The city’s tree-lined Main Street beckons visitors to quaint shops like Mast General, where folks can enjoy barrels of the sort of candy their parents loved as children. A delicious pre-concert meal at the Southern-influenced Soby’s or the Mediterranean-spiced Lazy Goat might be followed by coffee at Spill the Beans and a stroll across the Liberty Bridge to enjoy the splendid views of the Reedy River.

From there, it’s a short walk to the Peace Center, Greenville’s cornerstone performing arts complex, offering an array of Broadway shows, classical music, plays, dance, pop music, and comedy. For classical music fans, recent performances included a recital by violinist Itzhak Perlman, while the near future brings soprano Renée Fleming to town.

The Peace Center is also the primary home of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, offering a season of large masterworks and smaller-scale chamber concerts. It’s a particularly exciting season for the orchestra as it continues to spotlight six guest conductors vying for the title of music director.

Dynamic program

Wesley Schulz, the music director of the Auburn (WA) Symphony Orchestra and a finalist for the Greenville Symphony music directorship, recently led the orchestra in a dynamic program of works by Anna Clyne, Wynton Marsalis, and Hector Berlioz.

Masquerade, written by the British composer Clyne in 2013, was a short, bracing concert-opener, with its energetic clash of melodies and colors that draw inspiration from the mid-18th century promenade concerts in London’s pleasure gardens.

Violinist Tessa Lark was the soloist in Marsalis’ Violin Concerto, which the jazz trumpeter wrote for Nicola Benedetti in 2015. It is a complex work, combining an array of moods and elements of jazz, blues, folk music, and contemporary concert music in a concerto that toggles between boisterous jubilation and intimate meditation.

The first movement, “Rhapsody,” was bluesy with a haunting violin melody. The second movement, “Rondo Burlesque,” was a wild ride, a sardonic section almost in the spirit of Shostakovich’s scherzos with some crisp frenzied fiddling by Lark.

The third movement was a slow-burning blues. The fourth, “Hootenanny,” was a pleasingly raucous barnyard throw-down, with Lark and the orchestra trading quick riffs back and forth.

Among the engaging surprises in the concerto were the foot stomping and clapping by the musicians in some episodes and the use of a sousaphone (associated with a marching jazz band) in lieu of a tuba. Lark was brilliant throughout the 40-minute concerto, handling everything with self-assured mastery. Granted, it was a long concerto (as long as Beethoven’s or Brahms’), but this listener would have loved to have heard an encore from Lark. Schulz drew precise and passionate playing from the orchestra.

To balance the two very contemporary works by Clyne and Marsalis, Schulz concluded the concert with Berlioz’s familiar Symphonie fantastique.

Schulz conducted a fine performance, memorable for the burnished playing of the strings in the first and second movements and the brassy fire of the fourth and final movements. A listener might have only wished that Schulz had drawn even more attention to the forceful exclamations and grotesqueries of this once-shocking symphony.

Breakneck Beethoven

Another appealing venue for the performing arts in the South Carolina Upstate is Clemson University’s Brooks Center, located about 45 minutes from Greenville and recently named one of the 20 best college theaters in the U.S.

Of particular interest is the admission-free (yes, free) Utsey Series of classical music concerts, which often hosts world-class musicians, such as the recent appearance of Cliburn Gold Medalist Nobuyuki Tsujii with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Meanwhile, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra’s recent tour of the U.S., its first in 40 years, included a stop (not part of the Utsey Series) at the Brooks Center, where it offered some of the speediest Beethoven one is ever likely to hear.

That’s not to belittle the performance by Bulgaria’s national orchestra, which was polished, but one of the most memorable characteristics of the concert was the breakneck speed of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

With fewer than 40 musicians on stage, this was a streamlined, sinewy all-Beethoven program.

Under the commanding leadership of principal conductor Nayden Todorov, the first movement surged forward, bolstered by thunderous timpani. The second offered some pleasing dynamic contrast and gleaming string playing, but it was off to the races again for the third movement.

It was an often thrilling, risk-taking performance of the symphony, though some detail was lost in the fourth movement’s dash to the finish line.

Earlier in the concert, the 16-year-old pianist Ivaylo Vassilev performed Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto with assertive, chiseled clarity.

Surprisingly, there was no encore by either pianist or guest orchestra. A final plea: Bring back the tradition of the encore! ?

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Michigan State baseball was defeated by Illinois in MSU's final action of the 2024 First Pitch Invitational I at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., home of the Greenville Drive.

Illinois jumped out to an early lead and Michigan State was unable to recover, falling 12-6, in the non-conference match-up between a pair of Big Ten Conference schools. The Spartans and Illini are not scheduled to meet during the 2024 regular-season B1G schedule, making it possible for them to meet in a non-conference tilt in Greenville.

MSU concluded its Spring Break trip with a 3-4 mark, sliding to 4-7 overall on the young season. Illinois went 2-1 on the weekend to improve to 5-6 overall.

Illinois plated three runs each in the first and second frames, then three more in the third, before the Spartans got on the board in the fourth. However, the Illini scored three more in the fifth, before Michigan State plated a pair in the fifth, one in the seventh and two more in the eight, before the comeback fell short and the game ended.

"We're disappointed in the result today, but at the end of the day, we didn't do enough things well to win," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We walked too many guys, we made too many errors and that was a recipe for disaster, I guess. We're a little Jekyll and Hyde right now, which with a young team can be expected to a certain degree, but at the same time, we've got to learn from what we're doing wrong and make corrections to the mistakes we're making so that they don't happen again, and we're not doing a very good job of that right now. We'll go back and have a good week of practice and be ready to go back here in Greenville next week."

MSU knocked out 12 hits on the day, led by junior catcher Noah Bright going 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Junior outfielder Nick Williams went 3-for-5, driving in two runs and scoring one of his own. Junior designated hitter Christian Williams, freshman infielder Ryan McKay ,senior infielder Dillon Kark, sophomore infielder Randy Seymour and sophomore outfielder Jake Dresselhouse added one hit and a ribbie. Seymour joined Bright in scoring two runs apiece, while C.Williams and N.Williams each touched home once.

Sophomore starter Nolan Higgins (two Ks in 1.2 IP), junior Noah Matheny (three Ks in 2.1 IP), senior Aaron Mishoulam (1.0 IP), freshman Logan Pikur (1 K in 1.0 IP), sophomore Tommy Szczepanski (1.0 IP), junior Dominic Pianto (1 K in 1,0 IP) and freshman Gannon Grundman (1 K in 1.0 IP). Grundman was making his Spartan debut and chalked up his first collegiate strikeout against his first batter faced.

After traveling back to East Lansing for classes, the Spartans return to Greenville for the First Pitch Invitational II Friday-Sunday, March 8-10, tangling with VCU on Friday, March 8 at 2 p.m. then playing Western Carolina in a twinbill on Saturday, March 9 starting at 10 a.m. MSU then wraps up not just the weekend, but action at both Fluor Field and its South Carolina swing on Sunday, March 10 at 10 a.m. against Western Michigan.

Fans can follow the First Pitch Invitational II action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available for all games.

The Spartans' weekend schedule is subject to change, fans can visit msuspartans.com or @MSUBaseball on X/Twitter for complete schedule information and updates.

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For the first time ever, Michigan State baseball fans have the ability to purchase season tickets.

Season tickets packages are on sale through the Spartan Ticket Office. The MSU baseball season ticket package, which includes 24 home games at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, is available for $50.

All ticket levels for seniors, adults and children are the same price. Admission remains free for all Michigan State students by showing their MSU ID at the entry gate.

The 2024 Spartan baseball season includes Big Ten match-ups against Rutgers, Penn State and Nebraska, along with regional clashes with Central Michigan, Oakland and Notre Dame, in addition to giving fans admission to all three home games of baseball Rivalry Week against Michigan.

Individual game tickets will go on sale later this spring.

Fans can contact the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information. A direct link to purchase season tickets is here.

Play Cafe at Judson Mill in Greenville, SC is about to make every parent of little kids dreams come true with their huge indoor play area and cafe.

Austin Motes and Daniel Kingsbury are both dads with little kids. They acutely understand the challenge of finding fun, safe, and affordable places for their kids to play indoors but not at the expense of the sanity of the parents. And with Greenville growing so fast and so many new families coming to put down roots here – many of whom work from home – they also saw the need for a massive indoor space that allows parents to work but where their kids can get out energy and play.

They started dreaming up something big. Like really, really big. Enter the new Play Cafe of Judson Mill, a massive new indoor play space with structures up to three stories tall and a cafe and comfortable tables and chairs for parents to get some work done.

The photo below is a possible rendering of what one of the playgrounds at the Play Cafe will look like. We’ve updated this story twice since it originally ran so read on for photos and updated information.

About the Play Cafe

Austin Motes works in construction and has extensive knowledge of what it takes to navigate building codes and permits. Daniel Kingsbury owns SC Party Rentals so his expertise lies in entertainment. These Greenville natives are the co-owners of the Play Cafe and it’s their experience as parents and their knowledge of their respective industries that will make this new business venture appealing to families in Greenville (and beyond).

The vision behind the Play Cafe, they both told me, was to have a fun and relaxing place for kids to play safely but also to make sure parents didn’t need a vacation after spending a couple of hours there with their kids.

To that end, there will be no arcade, no loud air blowing through inflatables, and no musical aspects. Of course, kids will be loud but none of the play structures will add to that noise.

The Indoor Playgrounds

Austin and Daniel have quite literally scoured the world to find the coolest indoor play structures to bring to Greenville. They have gone to the biggest convention of theme park operators and inventors to find unique aspects to bring to the Play Cafe. This is no small deal to say the least.

The entire Play Cafe will occupy more than 14,500 square feet, which is enormous.

There will be two huge play structures, one of them two stories high and the other three stories high. They will be netted, and have slides, climbing structures, balls to throw and play with, tunnels, ladders, and other surprises.

Smaller kids will have an enclosed area to play apart from the bigger kids as well as a sensory area to explore. One side of the enclosed space will have a bartop counter where parents can sit with their coffee and laptops and watch their kids.

The Play Cafe is designed for kids through around middle or early high school and while kids can play on any structure they’d like, one structure will be geared more for younger kids and the other for older kids.

It’s obvious two dads and their wives planned this space, which I so appreciate!

Imagination Stations

For kids who may not want to play on the larger structures, the Play Cafe will have several Imagination Stations. These are small areas that are themed where kids can use their imaginations to become whatever their little hearts desire.

Some of the themed Imagination Stations will include a veterinarian’s office, a fire station, a princess castle, and a doctor’s office.

Safety at the Play Cafe

Safety is, of course, of utmost importance at the Play Cafe. All the play structures are sturdy, strong, and basically indestructible. These aren’t flimsy structures.

Additionally, when parents and their kids come to play, they will be given wristbands. To exit the facility, the kids must have the same wristband as their parents or they cannot leave. And there is only one entrance and exit so parents don’t need to worry about their little escape artists wandering off.

The Cafe

The Cafe will have comfortable seating throughout the space and service coffee, smoothies, pizza, and sandwiches. The Play Cafe will also be working with Feed & Seed, also located at Judson Mill, to offer healthier options if parents want to choose those.

And working parents, this is your place to bring the kids so you can get some work done. There is plenty of space to bring your laptop, connect to the Wifi, and let your kids get some energy out while you meet your deadlines. In fact, parents will be able to rent out the party rooms during the week to have meetings and get work done while their kids play. I nearly jumped up and down when I heard this. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.

There are high top tables surrounding the toddler area and next to the huge play area for the smaller kids. There are also plenty of outlets for phone charging and laptops.

Birthday Parties & Special Events

The Play Cafe at Judson Mill offers several different birthday party packages for guests, ranging from a more budget-friendly version to an all out turnkey event where the parents only need to reserve the room and everything else will be handled for them. Um, yes please. Party packages range from $249 up to $599.

There are seven birthday party rooms – yes, seven. So if the weather looks bad for your outdoor party, you have a pretty good chance of snagging one of the birthday party rooms here at the Play Cafe. The party rooms are separated by beautiful barn doors so if you wanted to rent out several, that’s an easy desire to make a reality.

Additionally, all the party rooms will be the same with the option of projecting a theme throughout the room. Think a princess castle or jungle full of dinosaurs.

Play Passes & Memberships + Cool Employee Perk

An all day play pass is $15/child. For kids two years and younger, the cost is $10/child. A monthly membership is $49.95/child and kids can play for an unlimited amount of time during operating hours.

Sibling discounts will be 20% off for three or more kids and kids ages two and under are free with a paid child. All packages and discounts are available on their website.

Tot times and special needs hours will also be part of the new Play Cafe at Judson Mill.

For parents who work at the Play Cafe, the owners will allow them to bring one child per shift.

NEW: March 2024 Update

This was the third time we got to see the Play Cafe and whoa, it is amazing. Both playgrounds were nearly finished, the tot area is also almost complete, the chairs and tables are in, the huge cafe space looks close to being finished, and the imaginative play areas are up and getting painted.

There will be soft, padded flooring and artificial turf added to the play space. It will not be all concrete floors!

The playground for the smaller kids is about 18 feet high with multiple slides and tunnels. There is also an adjacent, enclosed area for kids about age one and under. The high top tables surround this area so parents can work, chat, or just enjoy their coffee while their kids play.

The equipment for the bigger playground is up and it is enormous. It’s 22 feet high – almost three stories. There are slides, several entrances, a huge tower in the middle, and lots of nerf guns that will shoot balls. The plastic gun fountain hasn’t been installed yet but it will be a lot of fun. Good luck trying to get your kids to leave once this place opens.

The bathrooms are finished and get this: there are baby changing stations in both the men’s and women’s restrooms. Yay. There is also a larger changing table in the women’s restroom, normally used for children with special needs.

Opening Date & Frequently Asked Questions

It took an entire year for Austin and Daniel to find the location and get the permits for the Play Cafe and the space is enormous, which means they need a lot of time to get everything together from scratch and go through all the bureaucratic avenues. The opening of this amazing space has been delayed often, which our readers know, but it’s coming – we promise! It’s looking like the play space will open March 2024 and the cafe will follow soon after. Drinks and snacks will be able to be purchased but the more substantial food and coffee drinks won’t be available until later.

In the meantime, be sure to follow the Play Cafe on Facebook and we will be updating our readers as soon as it’s open. We will update our story when they do.

When will the Play Cafe open? March 2024

When will the cafe part of the Play Cafe open? Hopefully a few weeks after the Play Cafe at Judson Mill opens. Drinks and snacks will be available for purchase at opening.

Can I go see the Play Cafe now? No.

Will the Play Cafe be booking birthday parties soon? They will. Follow them on Facebook for the most updated announcements.

Will the Play Cafe have WiFi and areas for parents to work? Yes, indeed. This will be a great place for working parents.

Why is it taking so long for the Play Cafe to open? Because good things take time. Also, because the space is huge and the owners have to deal with a lot of local government requirements to open, which can take a long time.

Play Cafe at Judson Mill701 Easley Bridge Road, GreenvillePlay Cafe Facebook

Want to play now?

While you wait, try one of these indoor playgrounds near Greenville, SC.